Sakura Friendship
by Mishachan
Summary: Chihiro has changed, but the world has stayed the same. Three years later, it's frustrating enough to run away from...
1. Prologue

_To those who liked the old _Sakura Friendship_: I kinda stopped writing it for a little while, and then when I looked back through it, I realized that it was just chock full of plot holes, false characterization, and all sorts of lame little mistakes. So, I decided to rewrite it, with a different "villain" and with characters that are a bit more true to their real selves. If you desperately want to read the old one(which wasn't finished anyway), email me and I'll send it to you.   
Thanks for reading!_

Sakura Friendship   
**Preface**

Mr. and Mrs. Ogino were worried. 

They sat at the cold, steel breakfast table, where breakfast was going stale. 

The sound of hurried footsteps broke the heavy silence. Both parents looked toward the doorway. 

A girl bounded in, a bright smile on her face and a flush in her cheeks. 

"Good morning!" she said cheerfully. "Is this mine?" She plopped down in a chair and started to wolf down her rice and fruit. "I've gotta hurry or I'll be late for school." 

"Chihiro..." her mother reached over and laid a hand on her arm. "Sweetie... you've got a lot of energy this morning, haven't you..." 

"Yeah, mom." The ten-year-old looked up at Yuko. "I always do, don't I?" She hurried and swallowed the last of her breakfast. Then, jumping up, she grabbed her bookbag from the table. "Gotta go! Love you!" She bounded out the door, her eyes still alight with life. 

Mr. and Mrs. Ogino looked after her. 

"Not always..." Yuko whispered. 

"Honey, what's happened to her?" Akio asked softly. His voice sounded forced. "We don't know her anymore." 

"Ever since we moved here, she's been so distant from us." Yuko Ogino's eyes were misty. She was happy that her daughter was so happy, but why wouldn't Chihiro share her happiness? Why was she being so distant? 

"Maybe it's this place," she suggested. 

"Maybe," Akio said. "But what can we do?" 

"I want my daughter back!" Yuko said despairingly. 

"I know, I know." Akio laid his hand over his wife's. "We'll fix this," he said, determination in his eyes. 

**********

When Chihiro returned home that afternoon, she noticed the stiff tension in the air. Slowly she wandered from room to room until she found her mother and father in their bedroom. They looked up with somber expressions when she entered. 

"Mom? Dad? Is something wrong?" Chihiro asked. 

"Sweetie," her father said, "something has come up with my work. We're going to have to move again." 

"What? Already?" Chihiro looked at them, schocked. "But we've only been here for two weeks!" 

"I know, but it's for the best," Akio said. 

"We... we really have to?" Chihiro asked softly. 

Her parents nodded. Chihiro wandered out of the room thoughtfully. Faintly Yuko and Akio heared her murmuring, 

"'S'okay... He can still find me... I'll find them again... 'S'okay..." 

It frightened them. 

So they moved, from place to place to place, trying to find their daughter, who always accompanied them but never joined them. They searched for a long time. 


	2. Chapter One

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter One**

"...of the ancient times. Now, their society was much different from ours. In fact, the first ruler in Japan claimed to be a sorceress. What was her name? Anyone? Chihiro, what was her name?" 

Chihiro jumped at the sound of her name, realizing she had almost fallen asleep. Rubbing her left eye, she looked blearily at the teacher. "Um... I don't know..." 

A pretty girl who sat behind Chihiro made a noise of disgust. "It was Himiko. Everyone knows that." 

"Very good, Naomi," the teacher said. After a stern glance at Chihiro, he continued his lesson. Chihiro let her gaze wander to the window. The cherry blossoms just outside seemed to call to her, beckon her with all the strength that springtime could muster. Chihiro imagined she could see the blossoms moving of their own accord, dancing, like little pink spirits... 

Abruptly, the bell rang, cutting into her thoughts. Slowly she pulled her mind back to reality while the other students started to file out the door. 

"Miss Ogino," the teacher said, coming over to sit on her desk, "you've been daydreaming a lot in class." 

"I know." She started to pull her books together and put them in her bag. "I'm sorry." 

"Are things going well for you, Chihiro?" 

She looked up at the old man. He was watching her with real concern in his eyes, which is more than any of her other teachers had done. 

"Yeah, I"m fine," she said. 

"Really? Have you made any friends yet?" he asked. 

That question always made her nervous. "Not really, but I've only been here for a month." 

"Alright, well, I hope you do get some friends. You deserve them. In the meantime, try to pay attention in class, okay?" 

Chihiro stood up and bowed to her teacher. "Yes, sensei. I'll try." She smiled at him and walked out of the classroom. 

During the walk home, she thought about what her teacher had said. He seemed to really care about whether she had friends or not. She hadn't seen that in a stranger for a long time. 

No, she corrected herself, she had seen it, just not on the outside. Everyone really did care; they just didn't know they cared. It seemed to Chihiro that their real selves were way down deep, buried by skin and pride and beauty and selfishness. Their spirits weren't free. 

Chihiro slowed as she approached the fence of her temporary home. Her parents suffered from the same thing. Their spirits weren't free either. And since they weren't, Chihiro didn't know how to act around them anymore. 

"I'm home!" she called as she slipped in through the side door. Her mother poked her head out from a side hallway. 

"Welcome home, Chihiro," she said. "Did you have a good day at school?" 

"Yeah." 

Then they both fell silent, feeling awkward. Chihiro could almost see her mother's inner self fighting to break free. 

"...I'll have dinner ready soon," Yuko said finally. "Until then, get your homework done, okay?" 

"'Kay, mom." Chihiro hefted her bookbag and headed upstairs to her room, regretting the words she and her mother never said to each other. 

**********

Dinner was quiet. Chihiro picked at her food anxiously. Glancing up, she saw her mother and father exchanging glances. Finally her dad said, 

"So, Chihiro, are you liking school?" 

"Yep," she said. 

"Do you have any new friends? Or boyfriends?" 

"Dad, I'm only thirteen. I don't want a boyfriend yet." 

"Oh." 

Silence descended. Chihiro started picking at her food again. 

"Chihiro," her mother said with tentative hesitance, "You... you've been very distant... lately. If there's something wrong, we need to know about it." 

"Nothing's wrong," Chihiro said shortly. 

"There obviously is," her father said. "You used to talk to us all the time, and now you don't." 

"You're the ones who don't talk," Chihiro said. 

"I talked to you just now, asked about your friends," he said. 

"That's not real talking," she said. "It's just small talk." 

"What is real talking?" her mother asked. 

"It's...it's when you don't hide," Chihiro said haltingly. 

"Hide what?" Akio asked. 

"Hide...hide... I don't know exactly what it is," she said. 

"You can't use that as an excuse if you don't even know," Yuko said. 

"You do," Chihiro objected. "You don't say anything real anymore, but you don't know why." 

"How can I say something real? Isn't this real?" 

"No!" Chihiro said in frustration. "Real things are things like... like, 'I felt like this today,' or 'I'm so angry at such-and-such,' or 'You look so cute today,' or 'I love you,' but you don't say any of that stuff! It's like you don't even feel anything!" 

"Chihiro-" her mother started tenderly, but Akio interrupted. 

"It's not like we stopped saying those things," he said. "We never did say them. We've always just gone without words. Why did that suddenly change? Why did you change, Chihiro?" 

"If you really felt those things, you'd say them!" she said. "I finally realized that! You don't feel things 'cause you hide behind your stupid masks, and I realized that too. You're just selfish! Selfish pigs!" 

"Chihiro!" her father said sharply. Chihiro ignored him; she shoved herself away from the table and ran away from the kitchen, up into her room. She hurled herself onto the bed and curled up, sobbing. Her tears were hot and violent. 

Akio and Yuko remained downstairs. Akio was standing, leaning against the table with his eyes downcast. Yuko sat with her head in her hands and her eyes closed. 

Neither of them shed a tear. 


	3. Chapter Two

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Two**

Chihiro awoke to the grey dawn. She lay, face up, in bed for a while before she remembered the argument with her parents the night before. With a groan she rolled out of bed. She shrugged her clothes on and opened the door, leaving the room. 

Yuko sat at the table, toying with a spoon that should have been used to eat the cereal in front of her. She didn't look up. 

Silently Chihiro padded to the cupboard and got a bowl. As she sat down at the table and poured the cereal, she glanced at her mother. Yuko looked up as well. They both looked at each other for what seemed like eternity. In her mother's eyes, Chihiro saw only an emptiness. With a sigh, she poured milk onto her waiting bowl and ate breakfast in the awkward stillness. 

Soon afterward, Chihiro left for school. The day was overcast and windy. Chihiro frowned at the clouds but they didn't go away. As Chihiro walked, she tried to forget the atmosphere of her house, the coldness in her mother's gaze that was similar to the chill of the wind. 

"I hate you," she said to no one. 

"I miss you," she said, again to no one. 

The school loomed up in front of her. With a sigh, she resigned herself and entered the large doors. 

**********

School was torture for many people, but never Chihiro. Normally she viewed each day as a new adventure, and school was part of that adventure. 

But today was not a normal day. 

On her way to her classroom, she accidentally bumped into two eighth-graders who were embracing, lost in each other's eyes. 

"Watch it," the girl said scornfully, tearing away to glare at Chihiro. 

"Don't mind me," Chihiro said in irritation. "Just go on with what you were doing." She walked past them, but the girl persisted. 

"Aw, are you jealous? Can't you get your own boyfriend?" 

Chihiro stopped and glanced back to look closely at her. The girl's eyes were just as empty as everyone else's, despite the closeness of her boyfriend. Her spirit was buried deep. Chihiro turned back around and continued to her class. 

The day was exceptionally boring. Chihiro tried hard, but everything was so distracting: the trees blowing in the wind outside, the flash of teeth when someone smiled, the sound of a footstep on linoleum. It was driving Chihiro mad; she simply could not focus on her lessons. By the time her last class came, she was ready to scream. 

"I can't do this, Yamashita-sensei," she told her teacher before class started. 

"Do what?" the man asked, turning from his preparations to look at Chihiro. 

"I have been having the worst day since... since three years. I can't pay attention. I can't focus. I can't think..." She put her head in her hands on the desk. 

"Chihiro..." Yamashita moved to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "What happened?" 

"I got in a fight with my mom and dad," she said numbly. "They don't care about me. Not anymore." 

"That is untrue," he said firmly. "Now, I don't know your parents, but I know that every parent cares for their child. Even if they don't know they do." 

Chihiro looked up in surprise. Of course... she knew that; how could she have forgotten? "Yeah... I know," she said. 

"Do you now?" He leaned down to peer at her with concern. Chihiro looked at his eyes, and they weren't empty. 

"You're having a bad day now, but everything will work out," he said. "You'll see." 

"Yeah...?" Chihiro felt a faint glimmer of hope. Maybe everything would be okay. 

The bell rang, announcing the beginning of class. Her teacher gently squeezed her shoulder, then went to the front of the room. 

"Welcome to class, everyone," he said warmly. 

Chihiro noted hazily that everyone else had entered the room. 

"We will continue our lesson from yesterday about the Meiji period. Now, this period is very popular among authors, artists, and histories, but can anyone tell me why?" 

*********

It was nearing the end of class. Chihiro had managed to listen with moderate attention to the lesson, and was feeling a bit better about things. 

"Remember your homework," Yamashita said. "On page 553, questions 1-10." With this final statement, the class started chatting, impatient to leave. 

Chihiro nodded vaguely. She was thinking about what to say to her parents when she got home. An apology, to be sure. Maybe even an explanation... 

A tremor in the earth made the class fall silent. At first, Chihiro didn't even realize what had happened, but when she did, she looked, alarmed, at her teacher. He was looking at the floor in confusion. 

The ground shifted again. A rumbling sound accompanied it, only the sound came from above them. The air started to grow heavy and moist. A number of students whimpered and started to cling to each other, huddling down. 

Chihiro was frightened, but she surprised herself by welcoming the fear. It was mingled with excitement, something she had not felt since.. since... the bathhouse.. She stood up, alone, a fluttering feeling rising in her chest. 

The far window shattered inward. Chihiro shielded her face as minute pieces of glass flew about her. When she got the courage, she looked around. 

She was the only one standing. Yamashita-sensei was on his knees, staring toward the window. The students were crying, curled up or splayed on the ground. A few of them were looking at the window in fear. Chihiro turned her gaze there as well. She could not believe her eyes. 

"No-Face..." she breathed. Then, louder, "No-Face!" She took a step toward the window. 

The tall, black, masked spirit jumped flimsily down from the windowsill and approached Chihiro. 

"Oh my god... No-Face..." Tentatively Chihiro reached up. Her fingertips brushed the hard white substance that made up his mask. 

No-Face trembled. It was almost a shudder that ran through his entire form. Then he spoke. 

"Sen..." 

Chihiro gasped. She had never heard that voice before. It was soft, and endlessly gentle, but carried with it a metallic coldness that sent chills down her spine. She could not contain a slight, unbelieving smile. 

"No-Face, I can't believe... Is that really you? How did you find me? How can you talk? Where have you been?" 

"There is... an emergency," he said. "They are dying..." 

"What?" she asked in alarm. "Who's dying?" 

"Come with me," No-Face said, holding out a tiny hand. "Sen..." 

"Chihiro, don't go with it," Yamashita cried suddenly from the corner. Chihiro looked at him, startled. She had almost forgotten about him, almost forgotten her parents, forgotten everything except for herself and No-Face and the spirits... 

It was happening too quickly, but the urge to rejoin the spirits was too strong for Chihiro to resist. "I have to go," she said ponderously. "I have to." She pushed the image of her parents' empty eyes from her mind and smiled at her teacher. "Thank you for caring about me," she said. 

With that, she threw caution away and enclosed No-Face's little hand in her own. 

And they rode the wind. 


	4. Chapter Three

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Three**

"No-Face, I didn't know you could fly..." Chihiro was holding No-Face's hand. The wind raced all about as they moved through the air. To Chihiro it was more like everything else was moving while they were holding still. 

"A spell," No-Face whispered. "A gift." 

"A gift? From who?" she asked, peering over at him. 

A shudder racked his body. "Cannot..." He stumbled and nearly fell through the air. 

"No-Face!" Chihiro caught his arm and pulled him steady with the wind. "What's wrong? What's happened?" 

"Cannot..." No-Face's speech was quiet and forced. As he struggled with the words, they started to slow down. "Sen... I... river..." 

Suddenly they stopped moving. The world slammed back into place, and Chihiro fell to her knees at the sudden halt. 

She landed on wood that was painted red. Slowly Chihiro looked up and saw, exactly as she remembered it, Yubaba's bathhouse. Chihiro jumped to her feet. Tears sprang to her eyes. She had the sudden, overwhelming feeling that she belonged, that she was home. 

The feeling quickly evaporated when she heard No-Face, behind her, gasp in pain. She whirled, and at first she saw only No-Face. Then she saw the claws that held his arm at a painful angle. It was then that she saw the large, white dragon just behind him. 

She yelped and stumbled backwards. The face of the dragon was familiar to her. It was the wrinkled, old-man face of the river spirit. 

"Trying to resist, eh?" 

It took a moment for Chihiro to realize that the dry, ancient voice was talking to No-Face, who wasn't moving. The dragon's hand twisted No-Face's arm backwards even more. 

Chihiro leaped forward and clawed at the paw. "Stop! You're hurting him! What are you doing??" 

Another paw shot out at Chihiro and struck her in the face, making her fall back. 

"What, you care?" the giant dragon hissed. 

Chihiro rubbed her cheek and looked up at the creased face. "Are you crazy? What's wrong? Stop hurting him!" 

The dragon just laughed. It was a familiar laugh, but Chihiro didn't remember it sounding so cruel. 

"My spell is nearly complete," the river spirit cackled. "Now, little girl, just cross that bridge." 

"No!" Chihiro got to her feet. 

"No-Face, if you would care to assist..." The dragon let go of the spirit's arm. Immediately No-Face moved toward Chihiro. He reached out and lay his hands on her arms, starting to push her across the bridge. His hands were cold. 

"No-Face! What are you doing!?" She darted to the side, out of No-Face's grip, and ran away from the bridge. Her way was blocked, though, by the large dragon. He leaned down to stare right at her. 

"Scared, little human?" he growled. A paw whipped out and grabbed her by the collar of her school uniform. He lifted her into the air. 

"Master!" a voice called suddenly from across the bridge. Chihiro twisted around to see a little green frog hopping over the bridge. 

"Master, Sire, sir, someone has escaped." 

"What!?" The dragon snatched up the frog with another paw and brought him close to his face. "You incompetent excuse for an amphibian! Which one got away?" 

"The weasel spirit," the frog squeaked. "You know, Lin." 

The dragon roared and dug its claws into Chihiro's skin. She cried out in fear at the earth-shaking noise and pain at the razored claws. Even No-Face backed away toward the bathhouse. 

Then Chihiro felt herself being hefted. The dragon tossed her through the air, over the bridge. Chihiro screamed, sure that her neck would break as soon as she hit the hard stone. 

Instead, she landed in No-Face's tiny arms. She looked up at him, breathing hard. No-Face's gaze through his mask was anguished. 

"No-Face, take her and the frog to Sen's containment cell," the dragon rasped. 

"What?" the frog yelped. "No; I don't want to go with No-Face! I'm sorry, I won't let anyone go free anymore-" 

His words were cut off. No-Face had calmly moved across the bridge and, raising Chihiro so she would not get in the way, swallowed the frog out of the dragon's grasp. 

Chihiro stared, aghast. "No-Face!" she choked out. "Don't do that! You'll go crazy again!" 

"Stupid girl." The dragon leaned in close. "He'll do whatever I want him to. No-Face, take the girl as well." 

Chihiro stared in shock up at No-Face, who wasn't moving. "Don't eat me," she breathed. "I'll go with you, just don't eat me!" 

No-Face started trembling in exertion but he still didn't move. The river god in front of them looked surprised. 

"He's quite strong in his desire not to harm you," he said. "Very well. No-Face, you can carry her there, but if she tries to get away, swallow her." 

Immediately No-Face turned and crossed the bridge. Chihiro glanced back once to see the dragon sliding away. 

No-Face's pace was slow and gentle. Chihiro hesitantly laid her head against him. The black substance that made up what seemed like skin was smooth, like leather, but firm. 

"You're under the spell, aren't you?" she said. No-Face remained silent. Chihiro considered jumping away and making a run for it, but the idea of him chasing after her.. attacking her.. and actually.. being swallowed by No-Face made her feel sick. She stayed where she was. 

Slowly No-Face carried her into a familiar room. 

"The big tub," Chihiro said. "This was where we pulled all that garbage out of the river spirit." He had seemed so kind, then, like a grandfather. Not like the laughing demon outside who wanted No-Face to eat her. 

Without a sound, No-Face approached the tub and spat the green frog into it. Then he gently set Chihiro down at the tub's edge. As he turned to go, Chihiro caught his arm. 

"No-Face, wait. Help me get out of here. Fight that dragon's spell!" 

No-Face didn't react, except to pull his thin arm out of Chihiro's grip and keep going, towards the door. Quickly Chihiro jumped up and tried to follow him, but at the doorway a sudden shock ran through her, and she fell back, gasping. No-Face passed out into the hallway, unharmed. 

Gritting her teeth, Chihiro stood up and called after him, "I'll free you, No-Face! I promise!" 

She waited at the door for a few minutes, but No-Face was gone. When nothing else happened, she turned and approached the big tub. 

The little green frog was sitting, slouched at the bottom. Lightly Chihiro jumped down into the tub and kneeled next to the frog. 

"What is going on here?" she demanded. "Why is that dragon in charge? Where's Yubaba?" 

The frog rolled his eyes to look at her miserably. "We don't know where Yubaba is. She left as usual one morning, and that day the river god came. He attacked us. We tried to resist, but... we're not very powerful with Yubaba gone. The only one who was powerful... was fighting for the river god instead of against him. We all got captured. Everyone got put in prison except for a couple of us." 

"Why aren't you in prison?" Chihiro asked. 

"Well, I am NOW," he said in disgust, "but I wasn't earlier because I'd rather serve the river god than lose my freedom." 

Chihiro digested all this, then hesitated a moment before asking her next question, "Where's Haku?" 

She had not yet asked about him... she had avoided thinking about him for three years. Each time she let him creep into her head, she started missing him too much to stand. But now that there was a chance she might see him again... 

The frog laughed bitterly. "Haku was the one fighting for the river god. I don't know where he is now, but I don't want to. He is one powerful boy." 

Chihiro's heart sank. She sat next to the frog and pulled her knees to her chest. Haku was helping the river god? And so was No-Face. It must be powerful magic, to be able to control them. 

"What does the river god want?" she asked the frog. 

"To control the bathhouse, I guess," the frog said shortly. "Frankly, I don't care anymore." He bounced to the other side of the tub and curled up with his back to Chihiro. 

Chihiro watched him for a while, trying to figure things out, trying to think of ways to escape, but she discarded all of them. It was getting hard to focus. 

Eventually, her eyes slid closed. The events of the day had worn her down, and she was exhausted. Quickly she fell into a deep but uncomfortable sleep. 


	5. Chapter Four

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Four**

Chihiro woke to the sound of a whispering voice. 

"Hello? Anyone in there?" The voice came from beyond the big tub's room. 

Weakly Chihiro got to her feet. She grabbed the rim of the tub, but it was too slippery to pull herself up. 

"Who is that?" she asked. 

"Who are you?" the voice replied. 

"Uh... it's me, Sen." 

"Sen? Is that really you?" the voice asked incredulously. Chihiro recognized the voice now. 

"Lin!" 

"Oh, Sen, he DID find you; I'm so glad you're okay; are you hurt?" 

"I'm fine! I just can't get out of this stupid tub." Chihiro kicked the bottom of it, scuffing her shoe. 

The frog was roused by this time. He hopped up lightly to the edge of the tub. Chihiro heard Lin's angry yell. 

"You! Traitorous frog! Still doing the river god's dirty work, huh?" 

"Lay off, Lin," the frog complained, rolling his eyes. "I wouldn't have been helping anyone in prison." 

"You're not helping anyone now, either," Lin said, a note of triumph in her voice. 

"You're telling me," the frog muttered. 

"Now, help Chihiro out of there," Line commanded. The frog looked down at Chihiro from the rim of the tub. 

"Weak human," he muttered, and held out a webbed hand to Chihiro. 

Chihiro took his hand, and used it to brace herself as she climbed up. She was afraid that she would pull the frog in with her, but he was surprisinglly strong. In a matter of seconds Chihiro was out of the tub and running toward the door. 

Lin was just outside the doorway. She grinned when she saw Chihiro. "Oh, Sen, you've grown so much. I missed you!" 

"I missed you too, Lin! You haven't changed a bit," Chihiro said as she approached the door's frame. "Can't you come in here?" 

"I'll get trapped in there," Lin said. 

"Oh yeah." Slowly Chihiro raised her hand, trying to pass it through the door, but the barrier was still there. It crackled, and Chihiro snapped her hand back in pain. 

"How do I get out of here?" she wailed. 

"Hush, Lin whispered, and looked down the hall. "I think I heard something." 

They froze, silent. Slowly Chihiro started to hear faint footsteps. 

"Get outta here, Lin!" Chihiro hissed. LIn nodded and darted off, ducking around a corner just as someone entered the hall from the entryway. 

Chihiro froze and stared. Her eyes started to fill with tears. 

"Haku..." she whispered. 

The black-haired boy clothed in white and blue stopped in his tracks when he saw Chihiro. It seemed like they were both frozen in time, just looking at each other. Chihiro's breath caught in her throat as she looked at his eyes; his perfect eyes that she missed so much. 

"Haku..." she breathed. "Haku..." 

He didn't say a word. He paused and then kept going. As he passed the door, his expression was like ice. 

"Haku..." she said again. "Haku, fight the spell, don't let it control you..." 

"My task is to find Lin," he said coldly. Chihiro's heart leapt into her throat at the sound of his voice. 

"Haku, I missed you," she said, knowing he wasn't listening. In anguish she watched him walk past her. "Haku, I looked for you. Haku, I..." 

He turned the corner and was gone. Chihiro fell to her knees, bereft of strength. 

"Aw, doesn't your boyfriend like you anymore?" mocked the frog behind her. 

"You're bitter now," she said quietly, "but just you wait. Later you'll be blessing our names." 

"Oh, really," the frog said in disbelief. "And why is that?" 

"I'm gonna get out of here, and I'm going to free Haku and the bathhouse." 

"Or you can die trying," he replied. 

"Sen, are you okay?" Chihiro looked back at the door. Lin was there again. Chihiro managed a weak smile. 

"Yeah, I'm fine. My heart stopped for a second there, but now I'm okay." 

"Haku's majorly a slave to the river god," Lin said. "Even more than that No-Face." 

"Why aren't you under his control too?" 

"I don't know. For now it's only Haku and No-Face that he's controlling. But I do know that when everyone is imprisoned here, the river god gets control of the whole bathhouse. That's why I had to escape." 

"Well, you'd better get out of here then, Lin! Don't get caught!" 

"No," Lin said, "I'm going to free as many people as I can." She cocked a half-smile. "I'm lazy. I don't want the whole responsibility of the bathhouse's freedom to be on me." 

"Be careful, Lin." Chihiro reached up a hand but didn't touch the invisible barrier. Line smiled and winked. 

"Everything will be fine. I think I have an idea of how you can get out of here. Just wait until you get a message from me." Then she turned and darted down the hall. 

Chihiro watched her go and sighed. She wandered back over to the big tub and sat on the edge. Closing her eyes, she started thinking and waiting. 


	6. Chapter Five

_**Author's Note:** This is an extremely short chapter. You have my sincerest apologies for the length. Chapter six was actually supposed to be chapter five, and this was supposed to be just the beginning, but I decided they didn't fit well together. So I chopped it! Ha hah! Take that, evildoer!   
Anyway, please forgive. I hate short chapters as much as you do. It's just necessary, that's all. _

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Five**

"Now, on to Kamaji," Lin murmured as she quietly padded down the hall. She knew that Kamaji would help. He was the only one on their side who wasn't imprisoned. The river god needed him too much. No one was quite knowledgeable or able enough to run the baths except for him. Not that anyone was actually using them. The entire bathhouse was closed to customers until the river god was sure he could control the employees. Lin was determined not to let that happen. 

She followed the familiar route down to the bathhouse as quietly as she could. The halls were eerily empty. Lin didn't like the silence. 

Quickly she tunrned a corner to face the elevator door. She pressed the button impatiently, galncing around. The elevator arrived with a *ding* that seemed to echo through the whole bathhouse. The door opened, and Lin froze. No-Face stood quietly in the elevator, staring at her. 

This is it, thought Lin in despair. He's found me, now he'll _eat_ me... 

"Where are you going?" No-Face whispered. Lin blinked. This wasn't right. The evil beast was supposed to gobble her up and glide triumphantly back to the river god. Unless... 

"Whose side are you on?" Lin demanded. No-Face flinched. 

"I...I serve the river god," he said. 

"Then... why aren't you eating me?" she asked suspiciously. 

"I was not sent to get you," he whispered. "I don't have to eat you." 

"Great! Step aside, then, I've gotta go see Kamaji," she said, not believing that this was happening. 

Softly he obliged and stepped out of the elevator. "Are you going to help Sen?" he whispered. 

Lin hesitated. The first time she'd seen him, he was chasing Sen through the bathhouse, rampaging, trying to kill her. But the next time she'd seen him, he was following Sen like a little lost puppy, gentle as a lamb. Was he Sen's enemy or friend? Could a monster like No-Face be _anybody's_ friend? 

"I'm going to go see Kamaji," she said stiffly. "That's all." 

No-Face's eyes were clearly disappointed. "Sen.." he said achingly, and turned away. Lin quickly pressed the 'down' button, and the elevator started moving. But Lin's thoughts were now on No-Face, and she was puzzled. She had never heard so much emotion in anyone's voice until No-Face had said Sen's name like that. Where _did_ his loyalties lie? What had that been in his voice? 

"It's something you wouldn't recognize," Kamaji's voice echoed in her mind. "It's called love." 

Frowning, Lin folded her arms across her chest and tried not to think about it. 


	7. Chapter Six

_**Author's Note:** Okay there is a huge inconsistency in this chapter. I do realize now that the walls of the bath room are **not** that high. However, I like it this way and I'm too lazy to change it. Maybe they remodeled the bath house or something._

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Six**

Chihiro was going insane. She had never been a patient girl, and waiting in a bare room with an irritating amphibian was almost too much for her. 

"I'm so _bored_," she moaned. 

"Yeah?" the frog retorted. "So am I. _This_ is what I was trying to avoid. But no, Lin doesn't understand, she just thinks I'm a _traitor_-" 

"Pleeease shut up," Chihiro said. "Complaining about it isn't going to help." 

The frog snorted. "Practice what you preach, human," he snapped. "You're the one whining about how bored you are." 

Chihiro sighed. "I know," she relented. "Okay, let's just talk to keep ourselves from going mad." 

"Talk about what?" the frog said grumpily. 

"Well first off... What's your name? Do you have one?" 

"Yeah, I have a name," he said. "It's Keru. But that's not my real name, of course. Yubaba stole my real one." 

"You can't remember it?" 

"No, of course not. What about you? Sen isn't your real name, is it?" 

"No, my real name is Chihiro. But everyone at the bathhouse still calls me Sen." 

"Chihiro. That's a nice name," he said. 

Chihiro smiled. "Thanks. So how did you come to work at the bathhouse?" 

"By default, I guess. I wandered over here as a tadpole, and just never found a reason to leave. But I think maybe now I have." 

"You don't have to leave. We're going to save the bathhouse." 

"We who?" he snorted. 

"Me...and Lin... and..." 

"I'm definitely leaving if Lin is going to be in charge. I can't stand that little weasel." 

"Hey, Lin is nice!" Chihiro said indignantly. 

"Maybe to you," he muttered. 

"Just give her a chance. I'm sure she-" 

A sudden *pop* interrupted her. A creaking sound followed it. Chihiro jumped up and looked around, startled. 

A board had come loose from the wall and was creaking its way down. A rope was attached to it. 

"Hey, it's the tub filler," Chihiro said wonderingly. As she moved closer, she saw a small slip of paper tied to the rope. Hastily she ran up to the tub's edge and untied it. 

"It's a note from Lin!" Chihiro said happily to Keru. "It says, 'We think water might help,'" she read, and looked at Keru. "How would water help?" 

The frog shrugged. "How should I know?" 

"Hmph. You're no help. Well, here goes!" She gave a great tug on the rope. Water started gushing out and filling the tub. 

"Now what?" Chihiro said. 

"I could use a good bath," Keru said, and hopped into the tub. 

It only took a few minutes before the tub started to overflow. Keru washed over the edge, muttering. Chihiro ignored his complaints and followed the path of water to the doorway. The water splashed right throuhgh and out into the hall. 

"Maybe if the water can go out, I can go out with it," murmured Chihiro. She dunked her hand into the water and slowly moved it toward the door. 

The spell surrounding the doorway stabbed into her fingertips. She yelped and backed away, sucking on her aching fingers. 

"Well, that was useless," Keru said behind her. "What a waste of good water." 

"There's gotta be another way," Chihiro said, looking around. On a whim she glanced up. 

"Hey! The ceiling!" she cried. 

"What?" Keru looked up. "What are you talking about? There is no ceiling!" 

"That's the point!" Quickly Chihiro snatched Lin's note from her pocket. "I need something to write with..." She fished through the pockets of her uniform and looked around the room, but there was nothing available. But slowly, an idea came to her. 

"Keru," she said ponderously, "do you have anything sharp with you?" 

"Umm.... I have claws," he suggested and held out his webbed hand. Tiny sharp claws protruded from his fingertips. 

"That'll work! I need you to cut me." 

"What?" 

"Cut my finger! And I'll use my blood for ink!" 

"Uhh..." Keru stared at her. 

"Come on, they do it all the time in movies!" 

"Uh... okay.. if you're sure..." 

"I am." She waded over to the tub and sat down next to Keru. Holding out her index finger, she said, "Not too deep. Just to make it bleed." 

He looked at her with wide eyes. "You're really tough, for a little human girl. Okay, here goes." Deftly he reached up and hooked his claw into the tip of her finger. She sucked a breath in through her teeth, btu as soon as blood started welling, she presssed her finger to the paper and started writing. There wasn't very much room, so she had to be overly concise. 

'More water. We float out,' was all she could fit. Immediately she plunged her hand into the herbal water. It helped the stinging in her finger considerably. 

"Uh, how are you going to-" Before Keru could finish his question, Chihiro sloshed over to the wall and banged on one of the boards. It opened up to reveal the cord for sending bath tokens to Kamaji. 

"Brilliant!" Keru cried. Chihiro beamed at him, then quickly tied the bloodstained paper to the cord and pulled it down. The cord zipped away. 

Keru hopped over to her. "But Sen, how can we float out of here? All the water goes out through the door." 

"I know. You're pretty strong, aren't you?" Chihiro asked, thinking about how he pulled her out of the tub. She tabbed on the bath token door. "Help me pull this off." 

He blinked at her in confusion, but with little effort ripped the door off its hinges. 

"Great." Chihiro grabbed the board and sloshed over to the doorway. The board fit just inside. 

"Perfect!" she exulted. 

"Uh, that's not enough to stop it," Keru reminded her. 

"I know. Start tearing off more of those boards." 

Together they blocked up the doorway so that the water couldn't get out. When it was too high for them to reach, they just waited until the deepening water floated them upward, then blocked the doorway some more. 

Finally they reached the top of the wall. 

"You go first," Keru said. 

"No, you go first," Chihiro replied. 

"If this doesn't work, we're done for," Keru said. 

"I know," she said for the third time in an hour. "I'll go first." Chihiro tread water for a moment, then swam to the edge of the wall. Tentatively she reached her hand beyond the edge. It met no resistance. 

"We're free!" she said happily, and pulled herself to vault over the edge. The ground was far below. She hit it with a jolt and rolled. Keru jumped after her and landed with a light bounce. 

"You okay?" he asked her. 

"I think so," she said, rubbing her shins, which were sore from the impact. "Let's hurry and go tell Kamaji to turn off the water before he floods the whole bathhouse!" 

Off they ran. 

* * *

**Next Chapter**   
Home 


	8. Chapter Seven

_**Author's Note:** A big hearty THANK YOU to all those who read this and reviewed! I really really like reviews, and while I will keep writing whether I get reviews or not, it's a big moral boost when I get them. It really angers me.. I'm on chapter seven and I only have sixteen reviews, while other authors get like a hundred reviews on chapter three. It's not fair. Grr. But I guess it doesn't do any good to complain about it.   
Um, maybe I should do a disclaimer? I've never done one before. Well, here goes... I don't own Spirited Away or any of the character therein. Whew! That was hard. Good thing I got it over with... on chapter **seven**. Anyway, On with the story! _

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Seven**

"You're slow even for a human," Keru taunted as he hopped slightly ahead of Chihiro. She grimaced and said, 

"I've always been clumsy." 

"It's okay," he said with a grin. "On land, I used to be as clumsy as you. Back when I had no legs or arms, that is." 

Chihiro laughed at his teasing in spite of herself. Keru had cheered up a lot now that they were free. 

"I could go faster than you if I wanted to," she said. "I'm just not trying very hard." 

"Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

"Wanna race?" Keru asked with a gleam in his eyes. Chihiro glancd sideways at him, grinning. 

"You're on." 

Immediately Keru started jumping higher and faster. Chihiro tried to match his speed. 

They raced recklessly down the hallways. Chihiro didn't know she could move so fast. But Keru was still ahead of her. She yelled wordlessly at him, trying to keep up. Her cry arrested someone else's attention, and as Chihiro blew past a doorway, she took no notice of the creature in the shadows. 

------------------------

Chihiro flopped down on the floor of the moving elevator, panting heavily. Keru was propped against the corner, breathing just as hard and grinning. 

"That was fun," he said in a surprised tone. "I haven't had that much fun since I was a tadpole!" 

"I'm sure... you only had fun... cause you won," she mocked as she tried to get her breath back. Keru only stuck his long tongue out at her and grinned. Chihiro giggled at the human expression on a frog's face. 

*Ding,* went the elevator. Eagerly Chihiro hopped out and ran to the sliding door that led to the boiler room. 

"Lin," she called as she yanked the door open, "We're out!" Quickly she crawled through the door. 

"Oh, Sen! Kamaji, it worked!" Lin ran up to Chihiro and gave her a big squeeze. "Good job, Sen!" 

Two hands snaked onto Chihiro's shoulders. She turned to see Kamaji's ancient face looking down at her. Grinning, she leapt forward and gave him a big hug. 

"Kamaji! It's so good to see you again!" 

"Ah, Sen, you've changed so much! You're nearly a grown woman now." 

Chihiro beamed, but was assaulted again. Black balls of soot covered her and clung there, squeaking happily. Chihiro giggled. 

"It's good to see you too," she said to them. 

"How did you get out?" Lin asked. "I was hoping you could go under the water through the door..." 

"No, we filled up the room and floated out." 

"We?" Kamaji asked, puzzled. Chihiro turned. Keru was standing inside the door quietly, just watching. 

"Keru was a big help," Chihiro said. "He's a very good swimmer." 

"Indeed," Kamaji said. "Not very loyal, though, is he?" 

"Lay off," Keru said with a frown. "Besides, I did help Sen escape." 

"You were careless," a sudden voice boomed from above. All four of them looked up in alarm. Two white eyes gazed balefully out of the shadows. 

"You were very noisy in the halls," the river god said to Chihiro. "Naughty girl. I shall have to punish you." 

Before anyone could move, there was a ringing sound. A cage of iron formed in the air above them. It slammed down, shattering the wood beneath, and trapping all four of them in its bars. Chihiro yelped, startled, and jumped close to Kamaji. He put an arm around her protectively. 

"Finally!" the river god breathed. "I have you all. You know what this means, right, little Sen?" 

She stared defiantly up at him. "It means you're a cruel spirit who won't let anyone have freedom!" 

"Tsk tsk." He slithered down from the high shadows and coiled like a snake around the cage. "I'll let them have some freedom. Freedom to run the bathhouse, anyway. But you." He pointed a claw at her. "You are mine." 

Chihiro frowned. Fear crept over her like an icy blanket. What did he mean? 

The god saw the confusion in her eyes and grinned. "Get the boiler man away from you," he commanded. 

In horror, Chihiro felt herself obey. Her arms twisted Kamaji's long arm off of her, then she pushed him back forcefully. 

"Omygod! Kamaji, I didn't mean to!" she cried. 

"I know," Kamaji said softly. His eyes were worried. Lin was staring, shocked, at Chihiro, and Keru had a look of despair on his face. 

"Very nice," the dragon above them said. "Now, Sen, come with me." 

The cage rose off of the ground for an instant. Chihiro darted under it, and it slammed back into place behind her. She felt the river god's claws wrap around her, and suddenly they were airborne. From his tight grip, Chihiro looked down. Her friends were watching sadly as the dragon started racing upwards into the darkness with Chihiro tightly in hand. 


	9. Chapter Eight

_**Author's Note:** I would just like to make a note here that I make a point of keeping my website updated one chapter ahead of fanfiction.net. So if you just can't wait for the next chapter(which is probably not likely, but oh well), you can go to my homepage(the link is in my profile). Thank you!_

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Eight**

Chihiro closed her eyes tightly as the darkness sped around her. She was being held tightly by the river god's large claws. One of them was pressing into her arm at a painful angle. 

They burst into an open room, where the air was less stuffy. Chihiro opened her eyes as the dragon landed on an intricate European rug. It was Yubaba's room. Chihiro recognized the fireplace, the desk where Yubaba had sat whhen Chihiro had come here for the first time, and the room that led to Boh's room. 

Without warning, the river god dropped Chihiro to the floor. She winced when she landed on a twisted foot. 

"Chihiro!" said a voice she recognized. She jumped to one foot and looked in the direction it had come from. 

Haku was near the wall with one foot stepped toward her. He glanced at the river god nervously, unsure whether to move or not. 

The dragon snarled. "Stay in this room," he commanded them, then slithered out the door. 

Immediately Haku ran to Chihiro and wrapped her in his arms. Tears filled Chihiro's eyes. Both of them fell to their knees. 

"Haku..." she said tremulously. 

"Oh, Chihiro." He held her tightly, and it made her feel a bit safer. "Chihiro, I missed you so much... Chihiro..." 

"Why...why didn't you come find me?" 

Haku loosened his embrace and pulled away enough to look at her.. 

"I tried, Chihiro, I did... But my river is gone, so it's hard for me to remain in your world... I.. I wasn't strong enough. I'm so sorry, Chihiro." 

She just hugged him again, relieved to see him safe, and nestled her head on his shoulder. She was crying, but everything was okay now. Haku was here with her, and everything was going to be alright. 

"You've grown so beautiful," he whispered to her. 

She pulled away to look at him. "Really?" she asked shyly. He nodded and brushed a stray hair away from her face. 

His touch was electric. Chihiro barely held in a gasp. What was that feeling? Was it magic? 

Softly he stroked the side of her face, and she felt it again. It was an aching, almost. Her skin grew warm, and she trembled. 

Chihiro suddenly became aware of eyes watching her. Quickly she looked towards the door to Boh's room, and there she saw No-Face. He was partway out the doorway. One of his tiny hands rested lightly on the door frame. Slowly Chihiro stood up. 

No-Face glided over to them quietly. "Sen," he said, "I am sorry..." 

"You have nothing to be sorry for, No-Face," she said softly. "It's not your fault... And it's not over yet. We can still win." 

"How?" he asked. Chihiro felt something melt inside of her. He sounded like a small frightened child looking to her for protection. She reached up to lay her fingertips on his white mask. 

"Together we'll find a way," she said. 

At her touch, No-Face made a small noise, the one he had made while offering bath tokens or gold nuggets to her. "Eh..." He shivered, then turned away from her hand. 

Haku touched Chihiro's arm. "Are you under the river god's control?" he asked anxiously. 

"Yes," she replied. "I...I don't know why... But he couldn't control me until everyone else was captured..." 

"That's because you're human," Haku said. "Humans have some power in the spirit world, just as spirits have power in the human world. The river god had to cast many enchantments to seal the bathhouse so that he could control you." 

"But now his control is complete," No-Face said softly. Chihiro looked at him. 

"Maybe not," she said hopefully. "Maybe it wears off or something." 

A sharp laugh suddenly echoed through the room. The river god was crouched just inside the doorway. 

"I think not," he cackled. "It runs in your very blood. To be released, you'd have to die." 

Chihiro's breath caught in fear. "What do you mean?" she asked. "How are you controlling us?" 

The dragon ignored her question. "We are going to re-open the bathhouse tonight," he announced. "You three will be supervisors. I am going to give you a spell, and if you catch anyone not obeying my wishes, cast this spell on them." 

A brief tingling engulfed Chihiro, and she recognized it as the spell. She knew with dismay that she would obey the river god. With anger boiling inside her, she yelled at him, "This is so stupid! You can't just force people to do everything you say! It's not fair!" 

The dragon looked straight at her. She quailed at his squinted, fierce gaze. "Not fair?" he hissed. "What do _you_ know of being fair?" A paw whipped out and caught her on the legs. She cried out at the sharp pain and crumpled to the floor. No-Face and Haku, alarmed, started to move towards her. 

"Don't move," the god snapped at them. They froze. Chihiro rocked back and forth on the floor, holding her aching legs to her chest. 

"Little infant human," the dragon said bitterly, "do you want justice? Do you want thousands of huumans to die? According to this so-called "fairness," I can rightly shove oil cans and used tires down human's throats, same as they did to me." 

Chihiro looked up at him, anger flashing in her eyes. "I pulled all that junk _out_ of you! Why are you punishing me for it?" 

The river god lost any semblance of self-restraint he had been holding. "Because you humans are all the same! Don't say that you knew you were doing a great kindness to me; you were completely oblivious to what I was! It doesn't matter how good you think you are, you are still a stinking human who would willingly kill of any number of river spirits in a heartbeat! You are all murderers!" 

"I'm _NOT_ a murderer!!" Chihiro yelled. 

"Shut _UP_!" the dragon roared, and swiped his claws viciously across her face. 

Tears sprang to Chihiro's eyes. She remained silent. The stillness hung in the air like a stifling blanket as blood trickled down Chihiro's face. 

"Get up," the river god said. Chihiro got to her feet, trying to ignore the aching in her shins. She knew that the god could kill her now. She was helpless. 

Her tears flowed and mingled with her blood. They stung the deep scratches on her cheek. 

"We will open the bathhouse at seven o'clock," he said. "At that time, all three of you will patrol the bathhouse - separately - and watch for any disobedience to my orders. You will know any rebellion when you see it." Then he backed away, turned, and disappeared down the ornate hallway. 

"Chihiro..." Haku went to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you-" 

She gently pushed his hand away, and he fell silent. Without a word, Chihiro limped over to an open window and leaned against it, looking out over the sea. 

There she stayed, silent, until the sun had gone down. 


	10. Chapter Nine

**_Author's Note:_** Much of this chapter is purely transitional. Some of it was boring to write; I hope it's not boring to read. This is the longest chapter I've written, so I hope that appeals to you all.   
**Another Note:** The song that Lin sings at the end of this chapter is the theme song of Spirited Away: "Itsumo Nano Demo." So if you want to envision it in your head, just think of that song. 

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Nine**

In the human world, evening descended on a small house in Japan. The house was occupied but silent. Two people sat at a table, on either side of a phone. 

"Stay at home," the police chief had told them. "We will call you if we get any news of your daughter." 

So they had remained, waiting, by the phone. 

It started to ring. 

Both Yuko and Akio lunged at it, but Yuko snatched it up first. 

"Hello?" she said into the reciever. 

"Hello, is this Mrs. Ogino?" 

She nodded, then realized he couldn't see her. "Yes," she said. 

"My name is Mr. Yamashita. I'm Chihiro's teacher." 

Yuko quickly motioned for her husband to pick up another phone so he could listen in. 

"You... you were there when it happened, weren't you?" she asked tremulously. 

"Yes." 

"What exactly happened? No one will tell us anything!" 

So he told them. They believed him. But it was too late. 

Two years passed before they gave up hope of ever seeing their daughter again. 

------------------------------- 

Chihiro padded softly along the hallways in the upper floors of the bath house. From this vantage point she could see the whole of the bath house laid out before her. Several floors below, all varieties of strange-shaped spirits talked, ate, and bathed in the tubs. But their lively noise barely reached Chihiro's ears. Up here it was quiet. Few spirits wanted a room this high, so close to where the river god lurked. Chihiro found this area peaceful, as long as the ancient dragon didn't show up. 

A soft swishing sound and a *thump* behind her made Chihiro turn and look back. It was the river god, curled around a post, staring at her balefully. 

"You think there's going to be any funny business up here, huh?" he asked snidely. 

"Just patrolling the halls, sir," she said. "As I'm told." 

"There's no use for you to be up here," he said. "Get back downstairs." 

Like a robot, Chihiro turned to the elevator. As she waited for it, the river god growled briefly, then disappeared upstairs. Chihiro sighed in relief and got into the elevator. 

This life actually wasn't all that bad, she thought as she went down a few levels. She had a cruel overseer, of course, and she was a slave... but if she'd had her freedom, this wasn't a bad place to work. She was constantly meeting new and interesting people, learning new things every day, and becoming more skilled at negotiation with the customers. She had lost the desire to go home to the human world, and the only desire left was the one to be free. Her home was here now, after all. 

As Chihiro passed over the bridge connecting the north and south wings, movement caught her eyes. Keru was coming out of a side doorway ahead of her. He hadn't seen her. 

A twinge in Chihiro's arm made her suddenly shout in alarm, "Keru! What are you doing? I can see you!" 

Before either of them could react, Chihiro's arm lifted, and bright red light shot from her fingertips. The spell struck Keru full in the face. He flew into the air and crashed into a wall, head-first. Chihiro quickly ran to him. 

"Keru! I'm so sorry! What were you doing?" 

The small green frog man sat up stiffly and rubbed his head. "I... uh... I was gonna give this to someone..." He held up a bowl of candied rice. 

Chihiro sighed. The spell she had unwillingly cast on him was a subduing spell. It tossed the victim around and made them forget what they had just been doing. 

"Sorry, Sen," he croaked. "I thought you were upstairs." 

"I was. River-dog made me come back down." She helped him to his feet. "Better get back to work. But not for too much longer; it's almost dawn." 

He gave her a brief smile and a bob of the head, then hopped away, a bit disoriented. 

Chihiro continued opposite the way he'd gone and frowned. She hated how she could recognize people disobeying the river god. Constantly, she was hurting her friends. Something had to be done, and soon! 

Slowly the dark early morning gave way to the pale mists just before sunrise. Guests went to their rooms for the day, and workers filtered out to the barracks where they slept. Chihiro made her way to the top floor. At the doorway to Yubaba's room(she still thought of it that way), she stopped and looked around. The ornate curtains, chiseled wood, and intricate carpet had a calming effect on her. They reminded her of comfortable grandeur that would exist if the river god were not here. 

The river god... she could hear him breathing. Chihiro crept over to the door to the nursery and pulled aside the curtains, looking in. The river god had long ago dispensed of the baby toys, but he had kept the numerous cushions and pillows. He was coiled around them now, breathing deeply, asleep. Chihiro watched him. In sleep, he was not yelling, growling, or glaring. He looked peaceful. 

"I hate you," Chihiro whispered to him. "I hate you." 

"Go to sleep, Sen," he rumbled without moving or opening his eyes. Chihiro stiffened. She hadn't thought he would hear her. But he didn't speak again, and she backed out in Yubaba's room. 

A hand lightly touched her shoulder. She turned to see Haku, with a small smile on his face. She smiled softly at him. 

"Good morning," she whispered. 

"Morning," he whispered back. "Did you have a good night?" 

"I had to bash Keru," she said mournfully, "but he was okay." 

Haku shook his head sadly. "If only we could help them rebel..." 

Chihiro nodded and flopped down in a massive chair by the bookshelf. Randomly picking out a book, she looked at the cover without seeing it. "But we can help. At least a little," she whispered. 

Haku came over and sat down snugly next to her. Tapping on the book, he asked, "What's this?" 

"I dunno." She opened it to the first page. "'Becoming Deity,'" she read. "'How To Transform From A Lowly Spirit Into A Full-Fledged God.' These spirit world books are really strange." She glanced at him with a smile. "So are the people in the spirit world." 

Haku grinned and laid an arm around her, pulling her close. "You're becoming one of us," he said. 

Chihiro thought on this for a moment. "Is that possible?" she asked. 

"Not really," he assented, "but do you think you could fit back into your own world?' 

Chihiro shook her head. "Probably not. But do I fit in here?" 

"Yes," he said with conviction. "You are greatly loved here." 

She looked up into his green eyes, which were intense and warm with affection. Ever so slightly, he leaned in close... 

"No-Face," she said suddenly. 

"What?" Haku blinked, confused. 

Chihiro pointed to the door. No-Face had just entered. He looked over at them and bobbed his head, then continued over to the cold fireplace. Chihiro slid out from under Haku's arm and went over to No-Face. 

He glanced at her, then methodically started to pile wood into the fireplace. Chihiro knelt down by him and started to help. 

"You doing okay?" she asked him. 

"Yes," he said simply. 

Together, silently, they built up a good pile of wood to burn. No-Face held out his hand, and small match emerged from his palm. Chihiro took it and struck it on the side of the fireplace. It burst into flame. Quickly she lit the logs on fire before the match crumbled and turned into dust. 

Slowly the fire began to warm up the chilly morning air. Haku went over to them. 

"Almost time to go, Chihiro," he said. 

"Are you sure he still can't come?" she asked, meaning No-Face. 

"It's too risky," Haku said patiently. 

Chihiro sighed. She knew what it was like to feel helpless, unable to contribute. It must be even worse for No-Face. 

Haku started to roll back the heavy rug in front of the fireplace. Beneath it was a large, rectangular hole. It descended deep, deep into the bath house. 

"Shall we?" Haku said to Chihiro with a smile, and held out his hand. Chihiro took it and looked at No-Face. She bowed softly to him. Then, as one, Haku and Chihiro jumped. 

If Haku hadn't been there, Chihiro would have plunged to her death. But she was holding Haku's hand, and Haku could fly. He led them both through the darkness of the walls, down to where the train delievered coal, and through the high entrance to the boiler room. 

Kamaji was already there, of course, as was Lin, Keru, and several more Yuna and Frogs. 

"We're here," Chihiro announced as they floated gently to the floor. 

"No kidding?" Lin said with a grin as she went over to hug them both. Chihiro smiled at her friend as they found a seat on Kamaji's bedroll. 

"Alright, this meeting shall commence!" said Keru loudly from the ledge where Kamaji also sat. "Gosh, I wish I had a gavel. Anyway, I'd like to say that Sen's turned traitor. She bashed me into the wall tonight." 

Chihiro turned a faint pink as the others laughed. She knew why they were amused - the 'bashings' used to be a more frequent occurrence, at least until they'd organized these secret meetings. They were Chihiro's idea, but she had been nervous about going until she discovered that she could do whatever the river god hadn't told her specifically not to do. He'd never said anything about secret daytime gatherings to plot against him, so Chihiro had no problem attending them. 

There was one problem, though. No-Face had been ordered to swallow anyone he caught trying to hurt the river god. No one was sure that their planning counted as "hurting," and no one wanted to risk it. They were all too frightened of being eaten, so No-Face couldn't join them in the boiler room. 

"Anyway," Kamaji said, "All the preparations are almost ready, right? Except for the problem of how to get in. Thw whole upper floor is sealed off from us, isn't it?" 

"It'll take a while to find a way to get in," Keru said. "Do you think we could go in if we were invited?" 

"Invited by who?" Lin snorted. "I'm sure the river god's just gonna say, 'Why don't you guys come up here to kill me?'" 

"Do you have any better ideas, Lin?" the frog shot back. 

"I suggest we find a spell that could get us in." 

"Oh yeah? Where're we going to find that?" 

"Well, whatever we're going to do," Chihiro said, "I want to make it fast." 

"Sen, are you getting impatient?" Kamaji asked with a chuckle. 

"Yes! I am!" she said in exasperation. "It's been two whole years since I came here. I'm fifteen years old! And nothing has been accomplished." 

"Some things take time," Haku said soothingly. "The river god had to prepare his trap for three years. It might take that long to undo it." 

Chihiro sighed. "I know... I just think things would go faster if I could help more." 

"Hey." Lin plopped down in the cushions next to Chihiro. "You have been a _huge_ help, Sen. None of us would be here if it weren't for you. Just our support would be enough, but you've given a lot more than that. Remember how you found the loophole in his rules so that we could get enough food for us from the kitchens?" 

"And you organized these secret meetings." Keru hopped over to them. "You're invaluable, Sen." 

She smiled at them warmly. "Thanks, guys." 

"Well then," Kamaji said from the boiler seat, "what about the windows?" 

The others gave him a blank look, and he laughed. "Yubaba's room. Could we get in through the windows?" 

"I don't know," Sen said, and stood up. "Let's try it!" 

"Right now?" Keru asked, startled. 

"Yeah! Just you and me, Keru! Let's go!" 

"Uh..." 

"Why just you and Keru?" Lin demanded. 

"'Cause I know the perfect way to get there. I snuck into Yubaba's room five years ago through her window. And Keru is smallest, easier for infiltration work." She crawled over to the sliding door and opened it. "C'mon." 

"Alright... Everyone, if we're not back by nightfall, we're dead," Keru said cheerfully to the room, then followed Chihiro out. 

She led him up through the empty, silent bath house and out of a window. They dropped down onto one of the roofs of the workers' barracks and followed it to the other side. The pipe that Chihiro had broken five years ago was fixed, but she was much bigger now. 

"Uh, how do we get across?" Keru asked. 

"Last time I ran across on that pipe. I think you can do that." 

"Oh, right, but can you?" 

"I dunno." Chihiro inched over to the pipe and stepped on it, slowly puttnig her weight on that foot. The pipe creaked, then dented in, dangerously weak. Chihiro jumped back. 

"Um, maybe you'll have to go on ahead of me," she said. 

"Alright..." Keru said nervously. 

"Just go across the pipe and up the ladder. It's not too hard," she assured him. 

Keru nodded and hopped defly across the pipe. It shifted slightly but didn't come loose. Chihiro watched him ascend the ladder until she could no longer see what he was doing, then sat down on the edge of the roof and looked out to the sea. 

A few minutes later, Keru returned. He hopped over and sat down next to her. 

"How did it go?" she asked, looking at him. 

"Well, first I couldn't get the window open. But then I undid the lock with my tongue." 

Chihiro blinked at this, startled, but didn't think she wanted to know how he'd managed that. Keru continued, 

"The barrier was there, though. It stung my nose." He rubbed it tenderly. 

Chihiro sighed. "Well, thanks for trying, Keru." 

"No problem." 

They sat for a few moments in silence, just watching the sea. The sun shone merrily down on the waves, making them sparkle. 

"So, are you and Lin getting along yet?" Chihiro asked conversationally. 

"Oh, that weasel," Keru said with a familiarity that was almost fondness. "She's the most stubborn, pigheaded spirit I've ever seen. And she's constantly making fun of me." He paused, and his tone grew gentle. "But... I would die for her." 

Chihiro laughed, delighted. "Well that's a step in the right direction, I guess. Does she know that you would do that?" 

"Nah." Keru shook his head. "It would just make her head swell up even more." 

"Either that or it would soften her up." She glanced at him meaningfully. "Too bad that you're a frog and she's a weasel. Otherwise..." 

Keru shrugged. "I guess. It doesn't bother me that much. What about you, though? Are you and Haku..." He left it hanging. 

Chihiro put on an expression of innocence. "Are me and Haku what?" 

"You know, have you..." 

"Have we what?" 

Keru look up at her, incredulous. "Have you two even kissed yet?" 

Chihiro half-smiled. "I'm afraid not." 

"What? Why not? What in the world are you waiting for?" 

She laughed at his indignant expression. "I don't really know." She grew more serious. "I... I love Haku, and I think he knows that, but whenever we come close to kissing... all I can think about is..." 

"Is what?" Keru looked up at her earnestly. 

"...No-Face." 

"What? That monster??" He stared at her, shocked. 

"He's not a monster!" Chihiro said sharply. 

"Yes he is! He eats people! He's eaten _me_ twice!" 

"I know, but he's not... he's not bad.." 

"Yes he is! Why in the world would you care about a pitiless creature like him??" 

"He's not pitiless!" Chihiro stared Keru down mercilessly. "He cares! I've seen it in his eyes! He doesn't _want_ to eat anyone!" 

"Okay, alright, okay, I believe you." Keru held up his hands in surrender to escape the fire in her eyes. "I... I just don't really understand, but you do whatever you want to, Sen." 

Chihiro took a moment to calm down, then sighed in exasperation at herself. "I'm sorry I yelled at you." 

"Hey, it's okay." He hopped to his feet. "We should get back before they start to worry." 

Chihiro nodded, and they went inside. 

As they entered the sliding door to the darkened boiler room, Lin was singing quietly. The atmosphere was heavy and peaceful. Yuna and Frogs were gathered around Lin on cushions, listening to her song. Some were even asleep. 

She had a beautiful singing voice. It was soft and soothing. Chihiro and Keru quietly moved over to where Haku lay, trying not to interrupt. Lin kept singing as Chihiro lay down next to Haku, and he silently put an arm around her. 

Keru nestled his way into Chihiro's arms and curled up there. Chihiro looked at him. He was watching Lin with a soft expression in his eyes. 

"Ikiteiru fushigi shindeiku fushigi   
hana mo kaze mo machi mo minnaonaji   
yondeiru muneno dokoka okude   
itsumo nando demo yumewo egakou."*****

Lulled by Lin's voice and content in Haku's embrace, Chihiro slowly fell asleep. 

______________________ 

_*****(Translation:   
Living; strange, dying; strange   
Flower, wind, city: they're all the same   
Calling out from deep within the heart   
I'm always with you, in my dreams.)_


	11. Chapter Ten

_**Author's Note:** Finally! You guys, I'm sooo grateful! I finally have a review to reply to! Whee!   
Okay, this is from a person named **Daremo**:   
"Sorry, been a bit slow reviewing."_ **That's okay, I've been a bit slow writing.   
__**"Things I would like to point out:   
"Keru" has an official name, too. Miyazaki named him Aogaru." **I'd have to have confirmation of that, but thanks. I'll look into it and change it if I have to._   
_**"Kaonashi can't eat people if thy don't take something he has "made". In other words he could now eat Chihiro whenever he wants. ^_^'" **Okay, this one isn't even referenced. I'd reeeally have to confirm this one. I've never encountered anything that described No-Face's exact qualities. Where did you get all this info?_   
_**_"And if you make Chihiro/Kaonashi pairing, I'm gonna stop reading this! (It's very unusual for me to be fanatic about something, but...) :)"_ **Go ahead! I won't force you to keep reading it. **

_Thanks for your review, Deremo and everyone else! I love ya'll! ^_^ _

Sakura Friendship   
**Chapter Ten**

"Chihiro. Chihiro, wake up." Someone was shaking her gently . "Come on, Chihiro, it's sunset!" His voice was urgent. Chihiro opened her bleary eyes to see Haku looking distressed. 

"Hmmm?" Chihiro muttered vaguely and looked around, then sat up in shock. "We're still in the boiler room!" She jumped to her feet. "Everyone, wake up! Sunset!" 

The room sprang sleepily to life. Quickly workers started filing out the door. 

"Let's go, Chihiro," Haku said, and shimmered into his dragon form. In this body he was white and green-blue, hauntingly beautiful in his unearthliness. As a dragon, Haku seemed wild, untamed, ruled by no man. Chihiro loved him this way. 

She leaped swiftly onto his back, and he climbed into the darkness. They shot through dark inner wals and elevator shafts to emerge into Yubaba's room. Chihiro jumped off, and the momentum made her fall over. Haku returned to human form and dashed to the rug, starting to push it back over the hole. Chihiro looked around. The room was empty. 

"No-Face?" she called cautiously. 

"He's already downstairs," said the river god's voice. Both Haku and Chihiro whirled. He was crouched outside, on the balcony. 

"Where were you?" the dragon demanded with a growl. 

Chihiro looked at Haku anxiously. How much had the river god seen? Had he noticed the rolled-up carpet and the hole beneath? 

Haku decided to gamble against it. "We were... just out in the corridors," he said. 

"Indeed?" Slowly the dragon crept inside the glass door and stared down at Haku menacingly. "And what were you doing out there?" 

"I... well... you know," Haku said. He put an arm around Chihiro's slim waist and gently pulled her close. "Sen and I just... wanted a little privacy..." 

Chihiro felt her face grow hot and she knew she was blushing bright red. "Yeah," she managed to get out, "we just wanted some time alone." 

The river god snorted in derision. "Alright, children, but playtime's over. Get to work." 

"Yes sir." They both bowed deeply to him and hurried out into the hallway. 

Chihiro was too embarrassed to speak as they trailed through the maze of mirrors and carpets leading to the elevator. She glanced at Haku, and his expression was serious as he stared straight ahead. Shyly she slipped her hand into his. 

He stopped moving and looked at their linked hands, then at Chihiro. His eyes were so intense... Chihiro thought she might get lost in them. 

"Look, Chihiro," he started, glancing around the mirrored halls first, "What I told the river god was a lie, obviously... but.. but I wish it weren't." 

Chihiro blinked in astonishment. He was coming out and saying it? And he was completely earnest. Those green eyes were so beautiful... 

"Chihiro," he said, "I lo-" 

"No," she said quietly and put a finger to his lips. "Not yet. We aren't free yet. Just... just wait.." 

At first his eyes were pained, but they softened, and he nodded in understanding. "Okay," he whispered. "Alright." 

Chihiro turned away from him, and a moment later he followed. They continued through the corridors silently and out into the main floor, holding hands the whole time. 

------------------------------------------- 

"Lin! Lin!" Keru hopped swiftly down the hall and into one of the bath rooms. Lin was sitting on the wooden floor washing green slime off of her hands and dropping it into a bucket. 

"If you're here to patronize me," she said without looking at him, "Don't. I've got a bucket of acidic green sludge and I know how to use it." 

"That's not what-" 

But Lin continued, "Do you know what this stuff does? It hardens if you leave it dry for five minutes, then grows until it completely covers your body, then it eats away at your flesh." She turned to look at him, irritation on her face. "I shouldn't have to put up with this!" 

"Keep washing your hands and listen to me," Keru said. "There's a customer assigned to your bath with.. um.. special requests. He demands a certain kind of water, and as he's washing, his fur can't be rubbed the wrong way, and he can't damage his claws in the water... he's very high-maintenance." 

"Great." Lin finished with the green acid from her last customer and stood up. "That's just great. Where is he?" 

"Getting a room right now. I just wanted to warn you." 

"Thanks a lot, frog," she said, 

"Anything for you, weasel." He winked at her then hopped away. 

Minutes later, a thick padding noise alerted Lin to someone entering the bath room. She turned around to face the biggest cat she'd ever seen. He was a sleek Siamese, easily the size of a large dragon, standing at almost twice Lin's height. One of his ears was pierced, and his blue eyes sparkled. 

"H...h... hello," Lin squeaked out. Her throat was constricted and she was having a hard time trying not to run for her life. 

"Good evening," the Cat rumbled pleasantly. He sauntered over to the tub and leaped gracefully into it. Sitting down in it was all he could manage; he was too big to lie down. "Well, this place hasn't changed much in a hundred years. You still don't have any bigger tubs." 

"Th...this is the biggest we have," Lin stuttered. 

"Indeed." The Cat tilted his head and looked at her with one eye. "I wonder if you use soft water. Will it damage my claws? The house's quality has seem to have gone down since I was last here." 

"That.. that's cause.. Yubaba's not here anymore." 

"So I'd heard." He stretched a paw leisurely. "Those dragons can't do anything right, can they? Well am I getting a bath or not?" 

"Y..y..yes, sir. I was t-told you had a request concerning the water?" 

"Indeed. Half of the herbs put in should be mint, of course, enough to mask my scent when I hunt." Lin visibly quailed at that remark, but he didn't seem to notice. "Then a third should by thyme. One sixth should be rosemary, and the other sixth chamomile. You know, like the tea? Oh, and a dash of oatmeal. It makes my fur thicker." 

"I... uh... I'll have to go personally to the... to Kamaji so he can mix all that." 

"I'll go," said a soft voice from the doorway. Lin jumped, startled, and turned to see No-Face. 

"Oh, No-Face, you scared me. How long have you been there?" Lin asked, irritated that she now didn't have an excuse to leave the Cat's presence. 

"I was just passing and I heard his request. I'll go give it to Kamaji," No-Face said simply, and disappeared. 

Silence descended in the room. Lin slowly became aware of the Cat's eyes watching her intently. 

"You have the scent of a rodent," he said. "Are you a stoat? A mink?" 

Now Lin was really afraid. This god of cats was her predator, now he'd identified her.. would he try to kill her? "I... Uh..." 

He laughed. "I'm not going to eat you, little one. I'm just curious." 

"Weasel," she said, slightly relieved. She was willing to bet on the word of a god such as him. "I'm a weasel. My name's Lin." 

"A pleasure to meet you, Lin," he said. "I am Oneko." He held out a huge paw, and Lin did her best to shake it. 

Suddenly the water spout detached from the wall and lowered to the tub. Lin scurried to the edge of the tub, inches away from Onkeo, pulled it, and scurried back down. The green herbal water started to pour down on the Cat's head. 

A deep, guttural, vibrating sound filled the room. It took a moment for Lin to realize that the cat god was purring. 

When the tub was full, Lin stopped the water and looked at Oneko expectantly. 

"Alright, Lin," he said, "take this comb and comb my fur. Start with my neck, if you would be so kind. Be sure not to comb it the wrong way." A comb appeared in his paw and he handed it to Lin. She took it and sat down on the edge of the tub. As she started to comb the fur, the tiny bristles came to life and started destroying any dirt or grease in their paths. Oneko started purring again. 

"So tell me," he said, "What has been going on here recently? No one seems too happy working here anymore." 

"You really wanna know?" Lin asked. 

"Absolutely." 

So she told him. 

--------------------------------------

That morning in the boiler room, everyone was tired. Several Yuna and Frogs had even skipped the meeting to go to bed, so the only ones there were Kamaji, Lin, Keru, Chihiro, Haku, Aniyaku the foremand, and a couple more Yuna. 

"Tonight was so busy," Aniyaku complained. 

"Hey, don't you be whining," Lin told the foreman. "You didn't have to clean anyone." 

"It's always busiest on the weekends," Haku said. 

"I know, but still..." 

"Can we get started, please?" Chihiro said plaintivelye. She was in a bad mood. She'd had to bash one of the workers, right in front of a customer, a big cat with sharp teeth. It had taken her a while to make up a believable story to explain herself to him. It didn't help that all day she'd been thinking about Haku and what he'd almost said last evening. She glanced at him. He was looking at her. Quickly she turned her head away and looked pointedly at Lin. 

"Yeah, sure, sorry," Lin said. 

"What's our next option for getting into Yubaba's room?" Kamaji asked. 

"Welll..." Lin said hesitantly. "I was talking to someone today and I got a different idea. We could get him to come to us. 

"What? How?" Keru asked. 

"Well.. maybe we could get some of the customers to help us," she said. 

"Yeah right," said Keru. "How could they help us?" 

"Well.. maybe.. they could be, I dunno, bait or something," Lin replied. 

"Whatever. Do you know any of these customers who would ever go out of their way for us like that?" 

"Well, actually-" Lin started, but just then the sliding door opened. A black shape entered quickly and looked at them all. 

Chihiro jumped to her feet. "No-Face!" she cried. "What are you doing here??" 

"Hey, you can't come in here!" Aniyaku said harshly. 

"But I-" No-Face started but was interrupted. 

"You might eat us all!" Lin said. 

"I-" 

"You don't belong here," Keru said. "Do you know how much we-" 

"Be quiet!" Chihiro yelled. She could almost feel No-Face's pain for herself. How could these spirits be so cruel? Didn't they know how sensitive he was? She went over to him and took one of his hands in her own. "What is it, No-Face?" 

"I...I... eh..." Gazing at nothing, he started to fade away and become insubstantial, but he looked at Chihiro and seemed to snap back into reality, both mentally and physically. "The river god is awake!" he said intensely. 

There was a pause, then everyone panicked. 

"We're dead! We're so dead! He's gonna kill us!" 

"What're we gonna do??" 

"Everyone!" Haku immediately took charge and jumped onto the boiler seat. "Quickly and quietly go back to your barracks! He doesn't know who is here! You won't be killed if you leave now." 

There was a mad rush for the door. The workers started to crowd out. 

The ceiling suddenly smashed into chunks and shards of wood that came whistling down, thudding into the ground. One fragment shot right through No-Face's hand. He cried out loudly in pain and fear. 

The river god smashed down upon them, his tail narrowly missing Chihiro and No-Face. He roared in fury and thrashed around dangerously. No-Face pulled Chihiro close. Clinging to him, she could hear his quick heartbeat coincide with her own. 

The was a short bark. chihiro looked up to see Haku, as a dragon, hovering just above them. 

"Climb on!" Chihiro yelled, and jumped up to grab Haku's fur. Using it, she pulled herself up, then reached a hand down to No-face. He grasped her hand, and Haku took off, up into the air. Chihiro pulled No-Face up next to her as they flew, and she held him close. They flew toward the gaping hole the river god had created in the ceiling. 

"Come BACK!" the dragon roared behind them. Haku came to a sudden halt in mid-air that nearly tossed both Chihiro and No-Face off, then turned around and floated back, as slowly as he could. 

The river god was below them, seething. As soon as they came in range, he whipped out a paw and swatted them out of the air. Chihiro's scream came to an abrupt end as she smacked her head on the wall and fell into unconsciousness. 


End file.
